Tag: diversity

I stumbled across this documentary yesterday as it made its debut on the television channel TV One. “A Long Way From Home: The Untold Story of Baseball’s Desegregation” tells the story of minority players in the major leagues with the backdrop of a still segregated society. Players highlighted include: James “Mudcat” Grant, Orlando Cepeda, Tony Pérez, Jimmy Wynn, Grover “Deacon” Jones, J.R. Richard, Enos Cabell, Octavio “Cookie” Rojas, Orlando Peña, and Bobby Tolan.

The documentary highlights the everyday struggles of black and Latino players – from being asked to leave a restaurant the white players were welcome at, to being told they had to speak English, to having to play through injury. This is definitely must-see TV! Check out the preview below.

June is LGBT Pride Month and this year more MLB teams are recognizing LGBT communities with Pride Nights. Eleven teams are hosting Pride or LGBT nights during the month of June, and 5 other teams have already held or plan to hold similar events. That’s 16 teams total, three more than I reported last year and the year before. (Oh – and just in case there’s no presidential proclamation this year regarding LGBT Pride Month, you can see all the previous proclamations at the Library of Congress website, and the archived site for the Obama Administration.)

However, as I stated previously, MLB clubs don’t always advertise their Pride Nights very well. Most teams bury the information on Pride Nights (and other special ticket events) under “Theme Nights” rather than putting them on their promotional schedules. Others make no mention at all of LGBT events, instead relying on local organizations to sponsor and advertise the events. For example, I had no idea that Tigers, Rockies, Mets, or Cubs had any special events until I read about them on Outsports. You can do better MLB.

Nonetheless, below is the calendar of LGBT Pride events at MLB ballparks this year. Note that this will be the first year the Pittsburgh Pirates will be hosting a Pride event, while other teams, like the Washington Nationals, have been doing this for more than a decade.

Happy June!

~ baseballrebecca

Date

Team

Event

Additional Details

21-Apr

San Diego Padres

Out at the Park

San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus, San Diego Women’s Chorus and San Diego Pride and Padres staff jointly performed the National Anthem together; special ticket purchase included $5 donation to San Diego Pride.

26-May

Miami Marlins

Pride at the Park

Hosted by the Marlins and the Clevelander Marlins Park. Special event ticket included a Pride at the Park trucker hat. Celebrity guests were” Carson Kressley and Chef Art Smith. A portion of the proceeds support the Marlins Foundation in support of local LGBTQ organizations.

Special ticket includes an A’s Pride Scarf and admittance to the pregame party on the Westside Patio.

9-Jun

Los Angeles Dodgers

LGBT Night

Special guests include: actor Matt Bomer, Billy Bean (Major League Baseball Vice President & Special Assistant to the Commissioner), Brian Pendleton (founder of #ResistMarch), actors Noah Galvin and Guillermo Diaz; and Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo (plaintiffs in the landmark case overturning Prop 8 and restoring marriage equality to California). The National Anthem will be performed by actor Dot Marie Jones accompanied by members for the Gay Men’s Chorus and Trans Chorus of Los Angeles.

9-Jun

Tampa Bay Rays

Pride Night

Special ticket includes a Rays Pride Tumbler

9-Jun

Boston Red Sox

Pride Night

The New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus will sing the National Anthem

13-Jun

Washington Nationals

Night Out

The Nationals’ 13th Annual Night OUT. Proceeds from ticket sales contribute to Team DC’s Student-Athlete Scholarships, which are awarded each year to local college-bound LGBT student-athletes who, through their role in academics and sports, have enhanced the perception of the LGBT community.

16-Jun

Colorado Rockies

LGBT Night

No additional information on the website

17-Jun

New York Mets

Pride Night

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the LGBT Network and its Safe Schools Initiative to stop bullying in Long Island and Queens.

22-Jun

Seattle Mariners

Pride Night

Hosted by the Seattle Mariners and Greater Seattle Business Association. Tickets include a Pride Night hat.

23-Jun

Atlanta Braves

LGBT Night

This is the Braves’ 7th annual LGBT Night. A portion of the proceeds will go to Lost-n-Found Youth, whose mission is to take homeless LGBT youth off the street. Special ticket package also includes a Braves commemorative hat.

26-Jun

San Francisco Giants

LGBT Night

The special event ticket package includes a LGBT/Giants scarf. Partial proceeds from each special event ticket will be donated to local non-profits in the LGBT community.

2-Jul

Pittsburgh Pirates

Pride Day

This is the Pirates’ first Pride Day; each special ticket includes a special Pirates Pride Day cap.

22-Aug

Philadelphia Phillies

Pride Night

The first 1,000 fans to purchase these special tickets receive a coupon for Phillies rainbow socks.

3-Sep

Chicago Cubs

Out at Wrigley

This event is not mentioned on the Cubs’ website, but a special website has been created at: http://www.outatwrigley.com/

“The right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time.” ~ Jackie Robinson

It’s been 70 years since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Many players followed, changing the face of the game, sports, and society, forever. Significant progress was accomplished in the United States in the decades that followed Jackie’s MLB debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. But there is still work to do.

Many people have examined the social significance of Jackie Robinson integrating baseball. We have also come to know about Robinson’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Nonetheless, there remains unfinished business that must be addressed.

So, yes, today is Jackie Robinson Day throughout MLB and MiLB ballparks. While we celebrate Jackie Robinson’s enormous contributions to society, let’s also think of ways to honor his memory by continuing his work.

Baseball is crazy with statistics, but the stats that are most interesting to me, are those related to people: demographics, attendance, community impact, etc. Fortunately, there are baseball stats on that, too! For the 2017 season, I will periodically highlight important social stats about baseball – on “Stat”-urdays!

Here’s an interesting take on the decline of Black players that was posted in 2014 by Business Insider. Do you agree with their conclusions?

As I’ve noted before, baseball teams – especially Minor League Baseball – develop a variety of events to draw people to games. One category of such events is, as I’ve named it, is “Diversity/Heritage Days.” These days celebrate the diversity of the United States and the communities in which the teams operate.

I’m not sure what some of these events actually celebrate – such as “Redstoberfest” and “Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day.” And, of course, teams need to be thoughtful and respectful in their approaches to these events. The Orem Owlz recently learned that lesson when their “Caucasian Night” promotion was widely criticized. In their apology, the team noted: “Our goal in this promotion, like any of our promotions, is to have fun and make fun of everyday normalcies. Our night was to include wonder bread on burgers with mayonnaise, clips from shows like Friends and Seinfeld and trying to solve the vertical leaping challenge. We understand, in light of recent tragic events, that our intentions have been misconstrued. For that, we sincerely apologize.”

Below I’ve collected the Diversity/Heritage Days for all MLB teams, plus the minor leagues that include teams for my Orioles and Nationals: the International League, Eastern League, Carolina League, and New York-Penn League. Also included are all of the independent leagues. The remaining dates are shown first, broken down by group. However, that doesn’t give you the full story, as we’ve already missed several dates, including Korean Heritage Night and Japanese Heritage Night at the San Francisco Giants.

Have fun celebrating your heritage and that of others!

~ baseballrebecca

Hispanic/Cinco de Mayo/Latino/Caribbean

Date

Team

Event

7/25

Royals

Viva Los Reales

8/2

Dodgers

Viva Los Dodgers

8/5

Hudson Valley

Latin Heritage Night

8/8

Tigers

10th Annual Fiesta Tigres

8/11

White Sox

Orgullo Sox Night

8/16

Dodgers

Viva Los Dodgers

8/20

West Virginia

Latin Heritage Night

8/21

Reds

Fiesta Rojos

8/22

Marlins

Dominican Heritage Night

8/26

New Britain

Latino Heritage Day

8/28

Phillies

Latino Family Celebration

8/30

Kansas City T-Bones

Hispanic Heritage Day

8/30

Dodgers

Viva Los Dodgers

9/5

Brooklyn

Latin Music Night

9/10

Braves

Hispanic Heritage Night

9/12

Giants

Fiesta Gigantes

9/12

Mariners

Salute to Latin American Beisbol Night

9/12

Rangers

Hispanic Heritage Day

9/17

Bridgeport Bluefish

Hispanic Heritage Night

9/17

Nationals

Hispanic Heritage Day

9/20

Dodgers

Viva Los Dodgers

9/26

Marlins

Hispanic Heritage Day

10/2

White Sox

Hispanic Heritage Night

10/3

Dbacks

Hispanic Heritage Day

10/3

Dodgers

La Gran Fiesta – Viva Los Dodgers

Black/African American Heritage/Tributes to the Negro Leagues and Players

7/18

Brewers

Negro League Tribute Game

7/20

St. Paul Saints

Larry Doby Night

8/2

Durham

Negro League Night

10/2

Giants

African American Heritage Day

Asian Heritage

8/21

A’s

Filipino Heritiage Night

9/15

Giants

Filipino Heritage Night

9/18

Giants

Polynesian Heritage Night

Irish Heritage/St. Patrick’s Day

7/16

Brooklyn

Irish Heritage Night

7/17

Binghamton

Irish Night

7/20

Long Island Ducks

Irish Night

7/22

Hudson Valley

Irish – Organically Green Irish Night

7/23

Akron

Irish Heritage Night

7/23

Trenton

Irish Heritage Night

8/1

Williamsport

Irish Heritage Night

8/8

Lakewood

Irish Heritage Night

8/11

Giants

Irish Heritage

8/25

Tri-City

Irish Night

8/28

State Island

Irish Heritage

8/28

West Virginia

Irish Heritage

8/28

Staten Island

Irish Heritage Night

9/2

Royals

Irish Heritage

9/12

White Sox

Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day

9/17

Braves

Halfway to St. Patricks Day

9/22

Tigers

Irish Heritage

Italian Heritage

7/16

West Virginia

Italian Heritage Night

7/17

Phillies

Italian Heritage

7/31

Tri-City

Italian Night

8/7

A’s

Italian Heritage Night

8/16

Staten Island

Italian Heritage

8/16

Staten Island

Italian Heritage Night

8/20

Brooklyn

Italian Heritage Night

German Heritage/Oktoberfest

8/1

Brooklyn

Augtoberfest

8/14

Tri-City

Oktoberfest

8/20

Akron

German Heritage

8/27

Hudson Valley

Augtoberfest

9/3

St. Paul Saints

Oktoberfest

9/3

West Virginia

Oktoberfest

9/4

A’s

Oktoberfest

9/5

Reds

Redstoberfest

9/30

Giants

Oktoberfest

10/3

Mariners

Oktoberfest

10/3

Rays

Oktoberfest Freezer Mug

Polish Heritage

8/7

Toledo

Polish Heritage Night

8/13

West Virginia

Polish Heritage Night

Portuguese Heritage

9/22

A’s

Portuguese Heritage Night

Jewish Heritage

7/15

Staten Island

Jewish Heritage

7/15

Staten Island

Jewish Heritage Night

7/27

Giants

Jewish Heritage

8/2

Brooklyn

Jewish Heritage Day

8/19

Wilmington

Jewish Heritage

8/23

Lowell

Jewish Heritage

8/23

Lowell

Jewish Heritage Day

8/25

Trenton

Jewish Heritage Night

9/6

Marlins

Jewish Heritage Day

Other Heritage Celebrations

7/28

Tri-City

Mardi Gras

8/2

Tri-City

Around the World in Nine Innings

8/16

Winnipeg Goldeyes

Canada Day

8/25

Giants

Indian Heritage Night

8/9

Tides

All Ages Run the Bases

Events that already occurred

4/11

Marlins

Puerto Rican Heritage Day

4/11

Braves

Asian Heritage Night

4/11

Phillies

Asian Pacific Heritage

4/16

Giants

Irish Heritage

4/16

Nationals

Black Heritage Day

4/17

Giants

Korean Heritage

4/19

Dodgers

Viva Los Dodgers

4/23

Keys

Italian Heritage Night

4/24

Tigers

Negro Leagues Weekend

4/26

Lakewood

Jewish Heritage Night

5/3

Dodgers

Viva Los Dodgers

5/5

New Britain

Latino Heritage

5/5

Bridgeport Bluefish

Cinco de Mayo

5/5

Syracuse

Cinco de Mayo

5/5

Baysox

Fiesta de La Familia/Cinco de Mayo

5/5

Angels

Cinco de Mayo

5/5

Giants

Cinco de Mayo

5/5

White Sox

Cinco de Mayo

5/8

Richmond

Hispanic Heritage Night

5/8

Giants

Filipino Heritage Night

5/10

Tides

All Ages Run the Bases

5/12

Phillies

Jewish Heritage Celebration

5/13

Wilmington

Greek Heritage

5/15

Phillies

Irish Heritage

5/17

Charlotte

Tribute to the Negro Leagues

5/17

Royals

Salute to the Negro Leagues

5/19

Giants

Japanese Heritage

5/22

Marlins

Cuban Heritage Night

5/22

Tigers

45th Annual Polish-American Night

5/24

So. Maryland

Hispanic Heritage Day

5/24

Dodgers

Viva Los Dodgers

5/28

Giants

Chinese Heritage Night

6/1

Keys

Celtic Night

6/4

Camden Riversharks

Irish Heritage

6/5

White Sox

Italian Heritage Night

6/5

Phillies

African American Heritage

6/7

Dodgers

Viva Los Dodgers

6/7

New Hampshire

Irish Heritage Day

6/7

White Sox

Greek Heritage Night

6/8

White Sox

Polish Heritage Night

6/9

A’s

Korean Heritage Night

6/13

Marlins

Venezuelan Heritage Day

6/15

Giants

Portuguese Heritage

6/17

Wilmington

Irish Heritage

6/17

Phillies

Greek Heritage

6/19

Braves

Heritage Weekend

6/20

Dbacks

Native American Recognition Day

6/20

Baysox

Tribute to the Negro Leagues

6/20

Braves

Negro League Tribute

6/21

Dodgers

Viva Los Dodgers

6/21

Camden Riversharks

Jewish Heritage

6/23

Giants

Italian Heritage

6/24

Marlins

Caribbean Heritage Night

6/24

Giants

Native American Heritage

6/29

Tides

All Ages Run the Bases

7/1

Winnipeg Goldeyes

B’Nai Brith

7/2

Winnipeg Goldeyes

Ukrainian Celebration

7/5

Dodgers

Viva Los Dodgers

7/6

Syracuse

Negro League Appreciation Day

7/8

Wilmington

Italian Heritage

7/10

Lakewood

Italian Heritage Night

7/12

Dodgers

Viva Los Dodgers

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Tonight is #LikeAGirl Night at the Lowell Spinners! Inspired by the 2015 Always Super Bowl ad, #LikeAGirl Night seeks to “continue the campaign by Always, changing the meaning of the phrase ‘like a girl.’” (See the ad below.) Bravo, Spinners!

Several teams have held “Girls Night Out” and “Ladies Night” events. However, some of these events haven’t been met with approval. This year, after criticism from ThinkProgress.org, the Washington Nationals apparently changed their promotional materials for Ladies Night from stating “there’s no crying in baseball, but there’s plenty of wine” to “there’s no crying in baseball, even if you spill your wine.” An improvement, but not much better. A similar event held by the Atlanta Braves in May included feather boas and charm bracelets. (Apparently we have learned little from the Houston Astros’ 2013 Ladies Night debacle.)

Of course, not to leave anyone out, at least two teams have scheduled events just for guys. In fact, if you live on the West Coast, tonight is Guys Night Out at the Seattle Mariners, where you’re invited to “Make Safeco Field your man cave.” Included in the ticket price are your first drink (wine, beer, soda, or water) and a Seattle Mariners bottle opener cap.

At least a bottle opener is more useful than a boa.

Below is a list of gender-related events at ballparks this year, as well as that Super Bowl ad.